Ideas for your first crossword

EclipseCrossword makes it easy to create a crossword puzzle that's totally "you." But, all
that freedom can be daunting at first. If you're having trouble thinking of what to make for
your first crossword, here are a few to get you started:

Have a website? Take bits of information from your website—your middle
name, your dog's name, what high school you went to, etc.—and put them in a
crossword for your visitors!

Teach any classes? Whether it's a 200-person class at a university or a
10-person Sunday School class, your students will enjoy doing a
lesson-themed crossword puzzle. For younger kids, pick, for example, the
eight biggest topics from the lesson and put them in a puzzle to give to
them at the end. For older students, you can pick a variety of topics from
the lecture, both important and obscure, and put them together in a puzzle.

Putting together an instructional manual or a text packet? Most booklets
of this type will have some sort of "chapter review." Instead of bland
questions at the end of each chapter, be creative—add a crossword or two, a few "creative thinking" questions, and make it more
interesting.

Run a departmental newsletter? Put together a crossword and put it in
your next issue. Whether it's work-related, seasonal, or completely
irrelevant, it will "brighten up" the newsletter, and encourage employees to
actually read it.

Work at a doctor's or dentist's office? Put together a small
puzzle and leave some copies in the waiting room. Keep your patients
entertained!

Not all crossword puzzles have a theme, but they can help keep you focused
while you're thinking of words to add. Here are a few topics you can start
with if you can't think of any:

Seasonal puzzles. That's an easy one.

Obscure history facts. This type of puzzle is best done in teams,
because it can be difficult to do by oneself. Get a few history books, watch
something on the History channel, search the Internet, or visit the library.
Collect all of the weird facts you can find, and put them together in a
puzzle. They don't need to be related to one another.

Family tree puzzles. Have a family reunion or holiday celebration
coming up? Why not put together a crossword puzzle based on your family's
history or lineage. At the very least, it might give people something to
talk about when they get there.

TV shows, movies, and music. These types of puzzles are always
popular, and most people will know the answers, or know someone else who
will. The words don't have to all relate to the same show or artist, of
course.

General-purpose crosswords. You don't need to have a theme if you
don't want to. Most newspaper crosswords and puzzles in books and magazines
don't have a theme at all. Be creative, and pull together the words that you
never thought you'd ever be able to use in a crossword puzzle.

Of course, you'll need EclipseCrossword to build your crossword. It's
free! You can download it right from this site.